Olympics Day Two: Jordyn Wieber Loses the Top Spot

Day two was another great day in the world of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Congratulations to the USA’s Dana Vollmer for not only winning gold in the women’s 100-meter Fly, but for also setting a new world record and becoming the first woman ever to finish under 60 seconds. What a great honor!

What about the "Fab Five," the U.S. women's gymnastics team? Congratulations to Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas for advancing to the all-around finals, but my heart still aches for Jordyn Wieber. Not only is she the current all-around world champion, she was expected to qualify for the all-around finals as well. As I sat and watched along with everyone else, I could feel the hurt, pain, and disappointment that she experienced. I can only imagine how difficult it was to be Jordyn standing on the side, watching Aly on the floor exercise and knowing that it would come down to either herself or Aly advancing to the all-around finals. As a friend and teammate, you obviously want to see her do her best. But as your competition, you want her to make just a couple of mistakes so that you have an opportunity to advance. That’s the irony of sports and competition.

What happens next? How will this affect the team’s chances in the final round? There is probably nothing anyone could say to Jordyn right now that would make her feel better.

What makes this situation even harder is that Jordyn has almost no time to shake off the disappointment. She has to be ready for the all-around team finals on Tuesday, because she is integral to the team and its success. If she can bounce back from this upset, the U.S should definitely be in a good position to medal. I do believe that if the U.S. can find a way to win gold in the team all-around finals, it might ease the pain a little.

As much as we look forward to the Olympics and competition, we cannot lose focus on what really matters and what’s important. In my mind, it’s not whether you win or lose. It’s what you learn about yourself when things don’t go your way.